


Bedtime

by CuriosityRedux



Series: Dragon Drabbles Berk [7]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Hiccstrid - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 21:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16752052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuriosityRedux/pseuds/CuriosityRedux
Summary: To be fair, running an island is exhausting.





	Bedtime

**Bedtime**

**-**

The chief’s house was warm and quiet. The crackling of the fire in the hearth popped just above the soft scrape of Night Fury claws on a bed of lava rock. A  whisper trickled from the upstairs bedroom, where the chief had retreated after a long and stressful day. 

“I got the stables restructured,” he mumbled into his wife’s side. His voice was as weak as his body, hoarse and a little wobbly, and his closed eyes were set in sleepy shadows. “There’s still the issue of the… hatchlings… to contend with,” He sighed. “But it’s already an improvement.”

“At least now, the little Nightmares won’t escape every time one of ‘em sneezes,” Valka chuckled under her breath. Her hands worked deftly to unwrap the strips tied around Astrid’s foot. 

“I feel useless,” the chief’s wife admitted, lacing her fingers through Hiccup’s hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist and shifted. Pulling her closer, he rested his head on her stomach. “I should’ve been there to help.”

The other woman made a snort of dissent and gently peeled away old bandages. The worst of the burns that had left Astrid bed-ridden after the accident in the forge was healing well, but half of the village would tackle her before they let her walk on it. “You shouldn’t be doing anything but resting,” she chided. “You two have taken care of Berk for years. Let Berk take care of you.”

“Mm,” Astrid answered, smiling down at her husband. It was clear that she would allow herself to be bullied a little while longer, but she wasn’t happy about it. The young woman hated being kept from her responsibilities. “What about the letter from Lucktuck?” she asked as she pushed back his bangs. “Were you able to answer it?”

“Told ‘em I’d send a couple dragon riders to check it out,” he replied, barely intelligible. “Can’t spare Snot… Need him and Eret keeping an eye on those Spack ships… Maybe… um…”

“Fishlegs?” She tried to resist the upwards tug of her mouth, pursing her lips. 

“Yeah.”

“Can’t send the twins,” Valka noted as she dabbed at Astrid’s ankle. “At least, not Ruffnut. She’ll be cooking for the next couple of weeks while I’m up north. Tuffnut would have to take Stormfly.” When the girl glanced up for just a second to wrinkle her nose at the idea, she continued. “I know, I know. But she’s better trained than most and well-tempered to unfamiliar riders.”

There was a scuttle from the roof, coming from the large nest-like bed above. As if the Nadder knew she was being discussed. 

“And the races? Are those still on for this week?” Her fingers played with the silky strands of dark hair, undoing the braids he’d kept through the day. Astrid slipped her other hand lower to smooth over Hiccup’s forearm and trace the faint lines of muscle.

“The teens would riot if they weren’t,” her mother-in-law said with a shake of her head. She apologized quietly when she pressed a little too hard at the still-tender injury. “You’ll need to do that tomorrow after dinner, fix the sheep launcher. Gobber and I both looked at it, but your inventions go above the elderly’s heads, you know.”

Carefully holding onto Astrid’s foot, Valka unrolled clean bandages over the extensive burn as she ticked off her mental to-do list. “If you want to help, Astrid, there’s some accounts that need to be double checked. I don’t think a little paperwork will impede the healing process.”

“Alright. Sounds good.”

“But, Hiccup, don’t forget– you’re supposed to make a decision about the land on the east side tomorrow. We need the lumber, but Hack and his brother will start up that whole nonsense about their shares again if we decide to cut.” 

“I’ll remind him,” Astrid whispered.

“Good, good. And I think it’d be good if you checked in on Bucket’s niece. She’s not faring too well after her last fall, and they’d appreciate your concern.” Valka tucked the edge of the bandage somewhere safe and touched the curve of the young woman’s foot to be sure it was wrapped tight enough. “Oh! And the Landviks should be bringing their son to be named any day now. You should take a look at their genealogy if you–”

“Valka,” her daughter interrupted quietly, and when she looked up, Astrid was suppressing a smile. She shrugged and shook her head, nodding down at her husband. 

Against her torso, Hiccup breathed softly and steadily. His lips were parted, his features slack, and his fingertips twitched against his wife’s ribcage in dreamy sleep. Even when she reached for his back to rub between his shoulders, he didn’t stir– only sniffed and shifted, burying his face further into her belly. 

Valka’s heart instantly melted at the sight. She tilted her head and sighed indulgently, stretching out to give her son’s elbow a fond squeeze. “I’ll tell him in the morning,” she conceded, pushing away from the bed and standing. Pacing around the side of the mattress, she leaned over and gave each of her children a kiss on the forehead. “Send Toothless if you need anything.”

As she moved to leave, she watched Astrid’s eyes drop back to her husband’s face and soften. “I think I’ve got everything.”


End file.
